News, Rants, Retail, Shopping
Do You Even Care if Your Clothing is Eco-Friendly?
By Lauren Sherman
April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and the “green” press releases are beginning to infiltrate our inboxes.
While we’re not opposed to conserving for the earth’s sake, we are opposed to greenwashing.
That’s the term for marketing something as “eco-friendly” when it’s not really that eco-friendly. H&M’s been criticized for this in the past, as have plenty of other brands.
But really, it’s not H&M’s, or any other mass retailer’s fault. Because no matter what they do, no matter how hard they try, their clothing will never be eco-friendly. How can something shipped across the world via a huge airplane be eco-friendly?
The only true way to reduce your carbon footprint, at least when it comes to clothes, is to a) buy items made locally with cotton or wool that was produced locally or b) not. buy. anything. at. all.
That’s the part people don’t want to hear. To be truly eco-friendly, we’ve got to reduce consumption.
And another thing: Isn’t it more important to like the clothes you buy and wear them over and over again, rather than buy certain clothes because you feel like you have to? Those types of purchases end up in the Goodwill pile.
Labels that are both designed well and produced fairly are few and far between, but we wish that there were more of them. For instance, we’re confident that we’d love John Patrick’s clothes regardless of whether or not they were eco-friendly. That’s just an added plus.
Here’s our question: Are you eco-conscious? If so, how does it affect your fashion choices?
Tags: Earth Day, greenwashing, H&M
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Shop Vintage! Its always Eco-Friendly!
consumption is at the very core of the american way of life. from collecting video games to ipads to clothing. i struggle with the eco way of thinking every day. my cleaning products and toiletries are definately green, but my clothing purchases aren't. they may be made of organic cotton but the dyes used aren't for a lot of the places i buy from.
I dont even care if it is eco-friendly or not, I just love to buy and I buy things that I truly love not because they're eco-friendly. As buyers we have our choice, if those who criticize every retailer that's not eco-friendly don't want to pay for clothes that they don't consider eco-friendly they have a choice. I chose mine, and I truly don't care…
can i just mention that i was just in a majorly popular store on broadway in soho thinking about how the quality of the clothing for the high price always turns me away. but then i thought about how if they lowered their prices, a fetus would be making the item for me. and then i felt bad about my selfishness.
By your reasoning, anyone who's ever flown in an airplane has no hope of ever being eco-friendly. Yes, the greenest choice is almost always to not buy anything. But realistically, we're all going to keep consuming, and trying to be greener by degrees is better than not trying at all. So if you need/want some new t-shirts, why not get the organic cotton ones? Or those that donate a portion of proceeds to green charities? Yes, greenwashing is a problem, but just because it exists doesn't mean that we should give up trying, but rather that we just need to look at green claims with a more critical eye. Even if it's not the overriding factor in our clothing decisions, that doesn't mean it can't be taken into consideration (along with factors like affordability, comfort, durability, aesthetic appeal, whether it's made locally, etc.)
Unlike others who go in for all the “green” craze, I have the advantage of having a father who is a PhD chemist that SPECIALIZES in making fuels more environmentally friendly. So I'm already exposed to all this and I can assure you – 99.9% of what you hear is utter unscientific garbage.
The “scientists” preaching about global warming are the EXACT SAME ONES who in the 70s and 80s were saying that the earth is getting COLDER and we were all going to die in the coming ICE AGE.
Humans only have about a 1% affect on the climate.
The earth goes through warming and cooling cycles and we are now entering a cooling cycle. The earth is getting cooler, not warmer, now.
The majority of “green” products are only green in the SHORT term. In LONG term usage they are actually WORSE for the environment. Like those lightbulbs everyone's using now. Yeah, you break them you have to evacuate for 30 minutes or more. They've been known to give people mercury poisoning. You're better off with the old fashion kind.
And like this article says, most “eco” stuff isn't really eco at all. Google up the website The Beauty Brains for scoops from actual scientists on so-called “organic” makeup, for instance.
So no, I don't buy things because they are supposedly eco-friendly as I know for a fact it's all a load of bunk.
It's nice to be a daughter of an actual scientist and not some money-hungry fear monger.
I don't buy into the eco clothing hype at all. I am eco conscious about many things, but I feel that when it comes to clothing it is more often advertising.
I don't worry if my clothing is eco-friendly or not. It's just a trendy marketing ploy by companies trying to differentiate themselves.
Absolutely. I buy vintage, and when I buy new I will NOT buy sweatshop labor. It's vulgar that people don't realize that their demand for cheap prices is paid for in other human beings lives.
Yes! I don't make a lot of money, but when I need basics like T-shirts and jeans, I consciously shop at stores that promote eco-aware brands, like Carol Young, Kim White, and Organic. I very rarely shop from places that sell cheap, China-made cotton and poly-blend clothes, and I'm very selective about which high-end, independent designers I buy from.
But, as you pointed out, it's ultimately about buying LESS. I spend a lot of money on very few outstanding clothes made by independent designers (I justify it by calling it “supporting the arts!”)
Yes! I don't make a lot of money, but when I need basics like T-shirts and jeans, I consciously shop at stores that promote eco-aware brands, like Carol Young, Kim White, and Organic. I very rarely shop from places that sell cheap, China-made cotton and poly-blend clothes, and I'm very selective about which high-end, independent designers I buy from.
But, as you pointed out, it's ultimately about buying LESS. I spend a lot of money on very few outstanding clothes made by independent designers (I justify it by calling it “supporting the arts!”)
Great points. While I try to be as eco-conscious as possible, like most people, I could do better. I have a few eco-friendly pieces in my wardrobe, but have room to improve. Clothing seems to be the lowest priority on my eco-conscious list because quality, design, price and location influence my purchases most.
I agree, buying less is key. That alone forces me to be more selective, because I want my clothes to last and look good longer. I buy vintage when I can, and I also make a lot of my own clothes too. Nothing fancy–just skirts and dresses. It's not a perfect solution, but then nothing is.
was just reminded of that this afternoon. just like cheap food like mcdonalds, the cheaper the price the uglier the conditions for people and the way animals are slaughtered.
People should buy less, think before purchasing and buy vintage whenever possible. The quality in the cut and fabric is much better. Often, vintage clothing is made in the US, back when there were unions for garment workers, so you know they were not made by children.
When you buy vintage, there is no manufacturing footprint, because it's used. This is particularly good when it comes to leather items, because tanning leather often uses toxic chemicals and it takes a lot of resources to raise cows/sheep etc.
People who object to vintage on the grounds that it's “not clean” should read this piece done on GMA where they found new clothes had fecal bacteria and vaginal secretions on them:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/gma-found-clothes-cle…
Instead of throwing stuff out, you should rework clothing and make it into something that can continue to be used. Net-a-porter has pieces by One Vintage, which does just that, and those pieces sell for a fortune.
I go out of my way to make my eco-friendly hats as green as possible. Green options aren't readily available in the fashion industry, and what is available is usually cost-prohibitive and difficult to find. I've been an environmentalist for years and, in my opinion, living green generally comes down to making many “lesser-of-two-evils” decisions. It's not perfect and there are usually no easy answers, but that doesn't mean that making small changes can't add up to big effects over time.
I use natural fabrics, organic fabrics, and a lot of recycled clothes to make my hats. The recycled hats are about 5 times more time consuming to make but they offer more options than new fabrics. I blogged about my process of making an eco-friendly hat last week – you can read it here if you're interested: http://tinyurl.com/yfmeafa (or if you're nervous about clicking that URL, go to http://millinerium.wordpress.com/ and click on the 4/2/10 post.
I totally agree that, as a whole, we all need to consume less. However, there will always be a need for new (or repurposed) products and making green choices when producing or buying those products will go a long way. Buying local is awesome and, fortunately, people are starting to appreciate the skill involved in making things from scratch, and some of them are even willing to pay American wages to those of us “makers” of handmade artisan goods.
do i care? not particularly. i bought a piece from the h&m garden collection, and i thought it was cool that it was made from (at least partially) recycled materials, but really, they made it “un-green” since they had to spend the resources to refine the material from what it used to be to what it is now. the point is, the product has already been made, and the resources have already been consumed.
buying less is always an option, but the product has already been made. even if we bought less as a society, which would cause companies to make less to fulfill the lesser demand, the prices would have to rise, and then we'd be complaining about higher prices.
I used to buy vintage, but I won't do that anymore. It's just too dangerous in NY. I've had bedbugs before, and it was the biggest nightmare I've had to deal with in the last few years. Vintage shops can potentially have them. I just can't..
I tend to care more about socially conscious brands than eco-friendly brands. A lot of these high street stores have been know to have bad working conditions in their factories, H&M is one of them. Tying to be eco-friendly when shopping for clothes is quite hard, especially if you live in the Middle East.
H
The first Earth Day was in 1970 – therefore this is the 40th Earth Day, not the 49th, FYI…
faux fur is more tha eco….or at least vintage and trift store-shopping is step forward,who knows what amazing things you can find ,event though we are talking about second hand:)
visit http://www.iscariotteh.wordpress.com
The model wears it perfectly , I like to wear the shade of blue because it looks so seductive and sexy . I learned this fashion tip from http://www.vedicimage.com/' title='The Vedic Image Group rel=”nofollow”>fashion styling group @866-565-7541
Cotton is one of the most pesticide intensive crops in the world. An estimated 60% of those pesticides end up in our food supply through by-product sales of cotton seed hulls. By contrast, organic cotton is certified to use no chemical and/or petroleum pesticides and fertilizers.
We eat what we wear…and we are what we eat.
Cheers,
Craig
Yeah, that was a typo that I thought I changed. It's fixed.
I will buy clothes even if they're not eco friendly, but i feel like a better person and guilt free if its eco friendly.
I especially like H&M's Garden Collection for eco friendly clothes
http://www.onceuponafad.blogspot.com
i have heard about that. my vintage shopping days in nyc are gone-the goodwill and lower priced shops that is. there are a few stores i feel safe enough to go to..
I'd say that I'm eco friendly in that I hardly shop.
I'm not so much of a “fashion” or “trend” person as I am a “style” person.
I'll buy a quality item or two every few months and wear it for years in countless ways. I'm always playing with the way I put items together. This way, I force myself to be more creative and less of a consumer.
Get away from trends and find a timeless sense of style.
I agree with Jami JoAnne Russell. There are scientists in my family who say the exact same things. Therefore I approach the whole eco-friendly concept with a bit of suspicion.
I have changed my consumption habits however. It's not really out of ecological concerns but rather the whole ethics of consumption. I am currently on a year-long sabbatical and have “challenged” myself not to buy any new clothes. I'm also 8,000 miles away from Paris where I live, so it should be a bit easier! I took the time to reassess all that I own and gave away quite a lot of clothes to charity, including (too) many unworn items. Seeing all those bags made me realize that over-consumption is unethical and I was guilty as sin.
So if you don't need it, don't buy it. Make informed choices and thinik of clothes as an investment. Sounds easy when you want to keep up with the trends but it can work (I think… I hope…).
we are an ecofriendly and fair fashion label but most of all, we are a young fashionlabel. our main focus is on making pretty things that we actually would want to wear. the way we produce our clothes is a matter of course to us. it is not easy to work that way and sometimes it can even give you an headache. but it is possible. and to us it is no marketing tool. it is the way we chose to work when we started our label in 2008. yet we are not radical. everyone can buy or produce the way they want. just to us it would not work that way. if we buy clothes we mostly shop vintage. but it is not only about how you produce, it is also about how you feel about about shopping and consumption at all. we do not change our collection every season. we just add pieces. so the collection grows slowly rather than being changed every six months. and we prefer that the customer really wants a piece rather than just buying some piece without even thinking. that is also part of ecofriendly fashion. to think about what you really want. and not just randomly buying something.
Put your new purchases in the freezer (or boil them, if it's feasible.)
There seems to be a wide variance on what it means to be eco-friendly. The term is often used by individuals and companies to describe a product that has attributes that are environmentally friendly, but not necessarily all attributes. A product that it is truly, in all aspects, eco-friendly might be better described/represented using the term 'green.' At Body Bark, we talk about our line as sustainable as it is made from the cellulose fiber of sustainable beech wood forests via the Lenzing Group; we feel eco-friendly in that respect and, also, because the line is made in the USA. However, we are located in Denver; we are currently researching a local manufacturer because we produce in South Carolina (current carbon footprint=sasquatch.) Still, we strive to be 'friendlier.' I like Ginger Strand's comment above; yes, often it comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils, especially when fully green isn't always a near term option. Sometimes we have to ask, which evil is the most friendliest?
but this still propagates the consumer mentality..which is the problem, no?
All you people are silly, you are just trying to make yourselves feel better about being lucky enough for being in a position where you can choose where and how you buy your clothes… Is this really about consumption, global warming or sweatshops? You should be thankful for living in a country whose “ugly, ugly consumer way of life and ideals” is giving you the very freedom that allows you to CHOOSE between organic or non-organic stuff….
Oh, and by the by, I live in a “third world country”, and I've never heard of anybody making a fetus work for 2 cents a day…..
hey, since you have a piece of the clothing, could you look at the garment care tag and see if it says MADE IN CHINA? im worried about buying stuff from the collection if it is, because then the line is just hypocritical.